Nailing machine



July 15, 1947. E. P. ANSTETT NAILING MACHINE Original Filed Dec. 1. 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 July 15, 1947. E. P, ANSTETI' NAILING MACHINE 5 Sheamcsv-Shee- 2 Original Filed Dec. 1 1943 July 15, 1947. ANSTETT 2,423,821

MAILING MACHINE Original Filed Dec. 1, 1943 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 I! Ill Patented July 15, 1947 NAILING MACHINE Edgar P. Anstett, Chicago, 111., assignor of twenty per cent to Carl J. Anstett and twenty-five per cent to Dolly Anstett, both of Chicago, Ill.

Original application December 1, 1943, Serial No. 512,673. Divided and this application April 23, 1945, Serial No. 589,911

3 Claims.

This invention relates to nailing or stapling machines, and more particularly to such machines as are portable, being carried to the location where the'nailing is to take place and operated by an impact imparted thereto by a mallet or the like or, in the case of staples, by an impact imparted thereto by the hand, and is a division of my copending application Serial No. 512,673, filed December 1, 1943.

It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide such a machine which is simple but sturdy of construction so that it will not get out of order even when subjected to a good deal of violent mistreatment.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a, nailing machine of the above mentioned character which is particularly adapted for use with thin nails and wherein the nail is maintained in its true position during the nailing operation without likelihood of buckling, and wherein the driving blade that drives the nail home is supported against buckling.

Consider, by way of example, a. thin nail made of sheet metal of a thickness of the order of .050 inch. such a nail, because of its thinness, should be supported against buckling during the driving operation. The nail driving blade being much longe than the nail is even more likely to buckle if means are not provided to prevent buckling. It is one of the objects of the present invention to provide a nailing machine of the above mentioned character wherein there is provided means for supporting the opposite faces of the driving blade against buckling during the nailing opera-- tion. This is accomplished by moving the stem of the blade in a groove of a thickness not substantially different from the thickness of the blade, so that the opposite surfaces of the groove support the blade against buckling in a forward direction and against buckling in a rearward direction.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a nailing machine the body of which may consist of two similar simple, sturdy castings suitably machined to provide a track for the nails and to provide space for the nail feeding mechanism, and yet so arranged that the sturdy castings provide the necessary protection for the'nails and for the nail feeding spring mechanism.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide a nailing machine which, while exceedingly sturdy in construction, is not subject to cracking or bending. While the body of the machine may be made of cast steel, it is within th purview of the present invention to make the body of the machine of a. molded, non-brittle plastic which is strengthened by having incorporated therein a commingled mass of short cords or strands of cotton, or the like. These cords or strands are very short and are promiscuously commingled in the mass of molded material. This forms an excellent impact material.

The attainment of the above and further objects of the present invention will be apparent from the following specification taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a nailing machine embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a central longitudinal sectional view of the machine of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken along the line 3-3 of Figure 2 and showing the plunger in its normal position;

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 and showing the plunger in its extreme nail driving position;

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken along the line 5 -5 of Figure 3;

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the plunger and driving blade;

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the front end plate;

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a guide plate for holding the stem of the plunger blade against buckling;

Figure 9 is an enlarged sectional view taken along the line 99 of Figure 3; v

Figure 10 is a horizontal sectionalview of the nail feeding mechanism, said view being taken along the line Ill-ill of Figure 9;

Figure 11 is a sectional view taken along the line ll-ll of Figure 9;

Figure 12 is a, sectional view taken along the line |2--l2 of Figure 9;

Figure 13 is a perspective view of the nailfeeding plate and connected springs;

Figure 14 is a central longitudinal sectional view of a nailing machine embodying a modified form of nail feeding mechanism;

Figure 15 is a fragmentary perspective view of a, part of the nail feeding mechanism of Figure 14; and

Figure 16 is a sectional view taken along the line l6l6 of Figure 15.

Reference may now be had more particularly to the machine of Figure 1. The machine, indicated in general by the reference numeral l, in-

3 eludes two similar castings 2 and 2 secured together in face to face relationship. The castings may be of any suitable material. such as, for instance. steel, although a preferred material is a non-brittle. hard, thermoplastic which has incorporated therein a commingled mass-of short cords or strands of cotton. rayon, or the like,

a which are promiscuously commingled in the mass of molded material. This forms an excellent impact material not subject to cracking or crystallization.- The castings 2 and 2 are perfectly aligned by dowel pins 2-2 which make snug fits in corresponding holes in the two castings, and the castings are then held together by screws 2 the heads of which extend into countersunk holes in the casting 2 and thread into tapped holes in the casting 2. The bottoms of the castings 2 and 2 are perfectly flat. At the forward end of the machine each casting 2 and 2 has an enlarged head which is an integral part of the casting. A handle part II extends from the head to the base part of the casting and provides means for gripping the machine.

I Each enlarged head lb-HI has a vertically extending. channel-shaped groove |2 therein. the grooves in the contacting faces of the heads l2- |2 being opposite one another so that together they form a vertically extending square or rectangular hole for receiving a rectangular shaped driving plunger H of steel, which has an enlargement I! at its upper end that is embedded in the head l2. The head I2 is preferably of impact material such as was described above and is adaptedto receive the blow of a hammer or mallet for moving the plunger H to drive a nail, in a manner to be more fully set forth as this description proceeds. The plunger I4 is constantly urged to its uppermost position by a coiled spring |2 which extends into a bore in the plunger and bears at its lower end against the castings 2 and 2 at the base of the opening that receives the plunger |4. One face of the plunger has an elongated slot 24 that receives the stem of a screw 2| threaded in th machine. The slot 22, by engagement with the screw 2|, limitsthe upper movement of the plunger under the action of the spring l2.

A flat nail driving blade 24 of steel fits over one face of the plunger l4 and bears at its upper end against the enlargement l2 of the plunger so that upon downward movement of the plunger l4 the enlargement l2 forces the blade 24 also to move downward. A short pin 22, which extends through a hole in the blade and is embedded in the plunger l4, serves to raise the blade upon upward movement of th plunger. The plunger l4 with the blade 24 together make a snug sliding fit in the hole |2--|2 in the head [2.

The face of the plunger l4 that is engaged by the blade 24 is cut away from the bottom upwardly, as indicated at 22. The length of this cut is somewhat in excess of the strokeof the plunger. The depth of the cut is made equal to the thickness of a nail to be used in th machine. The purpose of this cut away part 22 will be apparent as this description proceeds. The lower end of the blade 24 has a stem 22 which is of a width and thickness approximately equal to the width and thickness of the head of a nail to be driven by the machine. The length of th stem 22 is in excess of the stroke of the plunger.

An anti-buckling guide plate 22. of a thickness equal to the thickness of a nail to be driven by the machine, is secured to the bottom front part of the castings 2-2 as by screws 2| that pass through holes 22-22 in the plate 22. Short dowel pins 22, passing through holes 22' in the plate 22, accurately position the plate in the machine. The guide plate is of a width at its lower part equal to the thickness of the lower part of the castings 2 and 2 and includes a part 24, of reduced width, that extends into the plunger receiving slot and enters into the cut away part 22 between the plunger l4 and the blade 24. The upper part of the plate 22 is supported by the lower part of the plunger l4 and, as the plunger descends, the upper part of the plate continues to hold the stem of the blade 24 against rearward buckling, while the surfaces 22 of the castings 2 and 2 hold the blade against forward buckling. The lower part of the plate 22 has a T- shaped slot 26 therein of the same shape as the shape of a nail to be driven by the machine.

A front facing plate 42 is secured to the lower part of the machine by the screws 2|. The front facing plate 42 extends from the bottom of the machine to the bottom of the head Ill. The inner face of the plate 40 has a, vertically extending channel 4| formed therein 'at thecenter thereof, which channel is of a width equal to the width of the web or head of the T-shaped nail. The channel 4| is of a depth equal to the thickness of the stem 22 and equal to the thickness of a nail being driven by the machine. In the descent of the plunger the stem 22 rides in the channel 4| and is supported at its lower end against forward and sideward buckling by the walls of the At the same time the lower end channel 4|. of the stem is held by the plate 20 against rearward buckling.

The. machine is adapted to receive a stick of flat nails each of which is of a T-shape, as shown more particularly in my patent application Serial No. 510,417, filed November 15, 1943. The nails are superimposed one upon another and are held together by a thin film of glue. Because the nails are T-sh'aped, the guideway for the nails is of a corresponding cross section.

If the machine were designed for using nails of a different shape the guideway for the nails would be made of a shape required to receive such nails.

An explanation will now be given of the manner of holding the nails in the machin and of advancing them step by step as each foremost nail is driven home. A straight, horizontal nailreceiving groove is formed between the contacting faces of the two castings 2-2. Since the nailto be used in themachine is a T-shaped nail the groove is T-shaped in cross section. Half of the groove is formed in each of the castings 2-2. To that effect each casting 2 and 2 has a very shallow but wide groove 44 therein (Fig. 11) which is of a depth approximately equal to half of the width of the nail and of a height equal to the height of the nail. At the top of each groove 44 there is a, deeper groove 42 of a depth equal to half of the width of the nail head. The grooves 44-42 in each casting 2-2 are of substantially inverted L-shape and together form the T-shaped guideway for receiving the nails. The groove 44 is extendeda short distance above the groove 42, as indicated at 46, to provide a guideway for the'top of a nail feeding plate, as will be more fully set forth as this description proceeds. Each groove 44 has a deeper groove 42 formed therein approximately half way between the top and the bottom of the groove 44. The two grooves 42 in the castings 2-2 extend horizontally the full lengths of the castings 2-2. These grooves together form a horizontally exa tending rectangular bore for receiving a spring operated, nailfeeding mechanism.

' 6 nail engages the surface II (Fig. 4) into which the nail is to be driven, and from then on resist- The spring operated. nail feeding mechanism 88, illustrated more fully in Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12, includes two opp sitely, facing spaced channels il-ll secured together at one end by a block 88 and a pair of rivets II. The block 88 is of such size as to provide a space between the flanges of the channels Il-ll so that in effect the nail feeding mechanism 88 is a slotted rectangular tube wherein the slot extends longitudinally of the tube from one end thereof almost to the other end. The width of the slot 88 between the channels is slightly in excess of the width of a nail so that the nail feeding mechanism may straddle a stick of trails, with the shanks of the nails extending vertically through the slot 88, as may be seen from Figure 11. At the forward end of each channel 8| there is journalled a short grooved pulley 88. Each channel It further has a spring 88. one end of which is secured to the block 88, and each of which extends from the block 88 to the forward end of the channel and around the pulley. 88. The

opposite end of the spring is then secured to a circular groove 88 thereacross through which the a spring 88 extends. The free end of each spring is connected to the associated block 88. It is thus apparent that the two springs constantly pull the nail pusher plate 82 forward. One of the springs 88 is secured to the nail pusher plate below the center of the nail and the other spring is secured to the nail pusher plate a somewhat lesser distance above the center of the plate. The two springs tend to hold the plate in a truly vertical position and prevent any tendency for the .plate toskew or bind in the guideway. and the line of the center of pressure exerted by the foremost edge 88 of the plate 82 against the nails is a short distance below the center of the nails. The upper end of the plate 82 rides in the guideway 88 and also acts as a limiting stop to limit the forward movement of the nail pusher, as will be presently described.

. The group of nails in the guideway is indicated at 88. The stems of the nails are in the cooperating grooves 48 of the castings 28, and the heads of the nails are in the grooves 88. Since the heads of the nails are in the grooves 88 the nails are held against vertical displacement when the machine is inverted. The edge surface 88 of the nail pusher 82 bears against the stem of the last nail of the stack. The surface 89 is cut back at 18 to provide an offset. The depth of this offset is equal to the thickness of one nail. The offset 18 is at an elevation not above the top of the nails. The nail pusher plate 82. acted on by the springs 88-88, exerts a constant pressure against the last nail and, acting through the stick of nails 88, always maintains the first nail firmly in the channel I of the front facing plate 88.

When the plunger I8 is forcibly driven downwardly, as by a mallet or hammer blow against the head i8, the stem 28 of the blade 28 moves downwardly in the channel ll of the front facing plate, and engages the head of the nail therein and forces the nail downwardly. After the nail because the front surface of the nail is in engagement with the web of the channel ll of the front facing plate and therefore the nail cannot buckle forward. The back of the nail is held against buckling due to the spring pressure exerted thereagainst by the next nail in the machine, which is being pressed forward by the nail feeder 82. The center of pressure of the springs 88 on the plate 82 is somewhat below the middle of the nail, to place the center of pressure in horizontal alignment with that part of the foremost nail which has the maximum tendency to buckle. The spring pressure exerted by the nail pusher 82, together with the inertia effects of the stick of nails and the nail feeder 82. is sufficient to prevent the foremost nail from buckling rearwardly. The stroke of the plunger may be any desired amount and may even countersink the nail, as illustrated in Figure 4.

When the hammer is removed from the head II the plunger l8 rises under the action of the stick of nails is moved forward by the nail pusher plate 82 by an amount equal to the thickness of a nail, thereby bringing the next foremost nail into the channel ll of the front facing plate. This action is repeated until the last nail has been moved into the channel I of the front facing plate. At that time the edge 88 of the nail pusher 82 has entered the T-shaped slot 88 in the anti-buckling plate Ill, and the surface 88 is flush with the front surface of the plate 88. At this same. time the edge 18 of the plate 82 is in engagement with the rear surface of the plate 38. When the last nail in the machine is driven home and the plunger it rises to the position illustrated in Figure 2, the nail feeding plate 82 cannot move forward because the surface 18 thereof is in engagement with the back surface of the plate 88 immediately above the web of the T-shaped slot 88 therein. This is of importance because if the plate 82 were permitted to move forward upon discharge of the last nail from the machine then the forward edge of the plate would come into the path of the reciprocation of the stem 28 of the nail feeding blade so that if another hammer blow is then struck on the head 18 of the plunger the stem 28 would be forcibly driven into engagement with the plate 82 and might injure the plate 82 or the stem 28. By the present arrangement this is not possible. It is also important that the cut away portion at 10 be provided so that the plate 82 may enter the slot 88 of the plate 88 for if this were not possible then there would be no force tending to hold the last nail in the channel 4| which would make a nail driving action uncertain when there is only one nail left in the machine. By the present arrangement this is obviated.

An explanation will now be given of the manner of holding the nail feeding mechanism in place in the machine. Before the nail feeding mechanism 88 is inserted into the machine a stick of nails is positioned therein by sliding the nails into place from the back of the machine, with the heads of the nails riding in the guideway 88 and the shanks or stems riding in the guideways l4. Thereafter the nail feeding mechanism is inserted has moved a very short distance the point of the 78 by pushing the same into place from the rear of the machine. As the nail feeding mechanism is being inserted, the channel |5l straddle the stick of nails, as may be seen from Figure 11, and the last nail engages the surface 89 of the plate 82 and pushes the plate 82 rearwardly against the action of the springs 8868. The tube 58 is pushed into the machine until the end I5 thereof is flush with the end of the machine. At that time a hole 18 which is formed in the webs of the channels 5|5| and through the block 53 is in alignment with corresponding holes 11 in the castings 2 and 3. A short pin 18 is then slipped through the holes I1 in the castings 2 and 3 and through the hole 18 in the block 53. The holes 18-11 are of the same diameter to permit the pin to be positioned. The pin fits snugly in the holes 'I'I but has a reduced shank portion 19 which is of appreciably less diameter than the diameter of the hole 18. After the pin has been positioned the operator releases the finger pressure which the operator had maintained on the right hand end of the feeder mechanism 58. The springs 88, acting on the plate 62 which presses against the last nail of the stick of nails 88, now forces the feeder mechanism 58 to move to the right until the edge of the hole 16 of the feeder mechanism comes into engagement with the shank 19 of the pin 18. The pin now prevents further rearward movement of the tube 58. At the same time th tube 58 prevents retraction of the pin 18. When the last nail of the stick has been used the feeder mechanism may be removed by merely exerting a pressure against the slightly outwardly projecting end of the tube 58, thus forcing the tube inwardly in the machine to bring the hole 18 back into alignment with the hole 11. This then permits withdrawal of the pin 18, after which the tube 58 may be retracted to refill the machine.

Reference may now be had to Figure 14 which shows another and different form of nail feeding mechanism. The nail driving arrangement of Figure 14 is the same as that of Figure 2, so a further description thereof is unnecessary, In this construction the stick of nails rides in a T- shaped slot or guideway formed in the two castings 2 and 3, corresponding to the guideways 4445 of Figure 11. In this construction the tube receiving grooves 48 of Figure 11 areomitted. Above the T-shaped groove 44-45 in the two castings 2 and 3 there is formed a longitudinally extending circular groove 85, the bottom of which is a continuation of the top of the groove 45. A nail pusher plate 88, which corresponds to the nail pusher plate 82 of Figure 13, ride in the nail guideway. The plate 88 is of a generally T- shaped cross section, the same as the cross section of the nail, and has a sleeve 89 at the top thereof and forming an integral part therewith. The sleeve 89 rides in the circular groove 85. A guide rod 98 extends through the sleeve 89 and has a flat button 9| at the forward end thereof, which button bears against the rear face of the anti-buckling plate 38 thereby limiting the extent of insertion of the guide rod 98 into the machine. A coiled spring 94 surrounds the guiderod 98 and at its forward end bears against the rear of the nail pusher plate 88, At its opposite end the guide rod 98 threads into a knurled nut 95 which in turn threads into tapped threads formed at the rear of the bore 85, thus positioning the guide rod 98 in the machine. As each nail is progressively used the nail pusher plate 88 pushes the stick of nails in the machine forward until, when the last nail of the stick is in the channel 4| the edge 91 of the nail pusher plate 88 is flush with the front surface of the plate 38. The forward surface 98 of the sleeve 89 terminates short of the surface. 91 by an amount exactly equal to the combined thickness of the button 9| and th plate 38 so that when the surface 91 of the nail pusher is flush with the front surface of the plate 38 the surface 98 of the sleeve abuts against the back of the button 9| and limit further movement of the nail pusher. It is thus apparent that when the last nail is driven homethe nail pusher does not advance beyond the position occupied by it when the last nail had been Dositioned in the channel II for subsequent use. Here, as in the construction previously described, the nail pusher plate 88 therefore never reaches a position in the path of movement of the nail driving stem 28.

When it is necessary to reload the machine the knurled nut is merely threaded out of the machine. thereby allowing withdrawal of the guide rod 98 and the nail pusher plate 88. A stick of nails may then be inserted in the machine from the rear thereof, after which the guide rod 98 with the plate 88 thereon may be reinserted into the machine. When the surface 91 of the plate 88 engages the last nail of the stick the plate 88 can then move forward no further and upon continued insertion of the guide rod into the machine the guide rod slides through the sleeve 89 until threads on the knurled nut 95 are threaded into the machine and the button 9| comes into engagement with the back surface of the plate 38.

In compliance with the requirements of the patent statutes I have here shown and described a preferred embodiment of my invention. It is, however, to be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise construction here shown, the same being merely illustrative of the principles of the invention. What is considered new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent 1s:

l. A nail driving machine having a driving plunger and a nail driving blade secured thereto, the driving end of the blade having a stem adapted to engage a nail, said stem being of a cross sectional area less than that of the rest of the blade, the length of the stem being at least equal to the distance a nail is to be driven by the stem.

and stationary means covering the front and rear surfaces of the stem for a length at least equal to the stroke thereof and forming guiding surfaces along which the front and rear faces of i the stem move as the blade is actuated.

2. A nail driving machine having a driving plunger and a nail driving blade secured thereto, the driving end of the blade having a stem adapted to engage a nail, said stem being of a cross sectional area less than that of the rest of the blade, the length of the stem being at least equal to the distance a nail is to be driven by the stem, stationary guiding means overlying the front and th rear surfaces of the stem and along which the front and rear faces of the stem 'move as the blade is actuated, said guiding means holding the stem against rearward and against forward buckling during the nail driving operation, and said guiding means including a rigid plate overlying the stem on that side of the blade which is in contact with the plunger, there being plate receiving grooves formed between the blade and the bottom of the plunger and into which groove the plate extends when the plunger is in its lowermost position.

3. A nailing machine having a base, the forward part of the base having an enlarged head extending upwardly from the base and constituting a socket for receiving a driving plunger, a driving plunger reciprocable in said socket, a nail driving blade secured to the plunger, the driving end of the blade having a stem of a width and thickness such as to substantially cover the head of a nail receivable in the machine, the portion of the driving blade above the stem being "of greater cross sectional area than the stem,

overlying the entire front and rear surfaces of the stem for a length approximating at least the stroke or the stem and holding the stem against The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 806,440 Snedeker Dec, 5, 1905 1,271,548 Doig July 9, 1918 2,202,259 MacDonald May 28, 1940 2,267,990 Obstfeld Dec. 30, '1941 1,845,186 Raeburn Feb. 16, 1932 2,227,826

Drypolcher Jan. 7, 1941 

